Heuchera plant named ‘Peach Melba’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct hybrid of  Heuchera  plant characterized by spring foliage color of pink to rust, creamy pink flowers on short red flowering stems, and a mounding habit.

Botanical denomination: Heuchera hybrid.

Variety designation: ‘Peach Melba’.

Cross Reference to siblings: Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No.16,210), Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,945), Heuchera‘TNHEU042’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 11/083,819).

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heucherahybrid and given the cultivar name of ‘Peach Melba’. Heuchera is in thefamily Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Peach Melba’ originated from acontrolled cross between Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No.13,348) as the seed parent and Heuchera ‘Huntsman’ (an unpatented plant)as the pollen parent. Numerous offspring were grown out from this cross.Many selections were made and trialed. Given its ornamental foliage andflower form, it is probable that Heuchera micrantha, H. americana, andH. brizoides are in its parentage.

This new Heuchera is distinguished by:

-   -   1. Pink to rust colored spring and summer foliage followed by        greenish amber winter color;    -   2. Small creamy-pink flowers on dark peduncles;    -   3. Mounding habit.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation(division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by divisionand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The drawing shows a one-year-old plant of Heuchera ‘Peach Melba’ growingin a one gallon container in the shade house in April in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivarbased on observations taken in April of a one-year-old specimen grown aone gallon container in an open air shade house with 50% shade cover andadded irrigation in the summer months in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 onthe USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F.in August to an average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall inCanby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based onThe Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart.

-   Plant:    -   -   Form.—Basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.        -   Size.—15 cm tall from the top to the soil to the top of the            foliage and 28 cm wide.        -   Habit.—Mounding.        -   Vigor.—Good.        -   Roots.—Fibrous, freely branching, fine, and white in color,            roots develop easily from cuttings.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—Simple.        -   Arrangement.—Rosette.        -   Shape.—Ovate.        -   Lobing/division.—5 to 7 shallow lobes.        -   Venation.—Palmate.        -   Margins.—Crenate.        -   Apex.—Mucronulate.        -   Base.—Cordate, lobes sometimes slightly overlapping at the            base.        -   Blade size.—8 to 9.3 cm long and 7.5 to 8.3 cm wide.        -   Surface texture.—Glandular on margins and on veins on bottom            side.        -   Petiole description.—6.5 to 13 cm long and 1.5 mm wide,            glandular-pubescent, Greyed Purple 183C to Greyed Orange            177C.        -   Leaf color.—Spring, summer topside — Newly emerging spring            leaves are Greyed Orange 166C to Greyed Orange 165C with            darker veins of Greyed Orange 166B. These mature to Greyed            Orange 165A to Greyed Orange 166B with a veil of between            Greyed Orange 177D and White 155A. Bottom side all seasons —            Grayed Purple 187C and D. Winter topside — Yellow Green 152A            and 152B with amber shades of Greyed Orange 165B overlaid            with a slight white veil, White 155A.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Type.—Thyrse.        -   Number of flowers.—70 per thyrse.        -   Number of thyrse in spring.—5.        -   Peduncle.—30 cm high and 3 mm wide, with glandular hairs,            color is Greyed Purple 184A, with 2 to 3 petiolate cauline            leaves (ovate to linear, blades grow to 5 cm long and 5 cm            wide and are 3 lobed and crenate).        -   Pedicel.—Variable size, gladular hairs, Grayed Purple 184A.        -   Bloom period.—May in Canby, Oreg.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—2 mm wide and 5 mm long.        -   Description.—Glandular puberulent, ovoid.        -   Color.—Greyed Orange 165D overall.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—Perfect, zygomorphic.        -   Shape.—Campanulate.        -   Size.—6 mm long and 5 mm wide.        -   Petal description.—5 in number, extruding from the calyx,            2.5 mm long, spatulate with a clawed base, reflexed, apex            acute, margin entire, White 155D on both sides, a few            glandular hairs on bottom side.        -   Calyx description.—5 lobes, divided ⅓ way to the base, with            glandular hairs on inside and outside, apex acute, margin            entire, 5 mm long and 3 mm wide.        -   Calyx color.—Creamy pink. Red Purple 62D with Greyed Yellow            160A at the base and Greyed Orange White 164A at lobes on            both sides.        -   Stamen description.—5 in number, filaments 3 mm long, White            155A, anthers are 0.5 mm long, Orange 26B, no pollen            produced, male sterile.        -   Pistil description.—5 mm long, Yellow Green 154D.        -   Fragrance.—None.        -   Lastingness.—Each thyrse blooms for about 2 weeks on the            plant.-   Fruit:    -   -   Type.—Two-beaked ovoid capsule.        -   Color.—Brown 200D.-   Seed:    -   -   Shape.—Linear.        -   Size.—2 mm long.        -   Color.—Black, RHS 202A.-   Pest and disease tolerance: Excellent disease resistance to powdery    mildew, the common problem of Heuchera. Susceptible to Heuchera rust    and root weevils.

COMPARISON TO SIMILAR HEUCHERAS

Compared to Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,348), theseed parent, Heuchera ‘Peach Melba’ has foliage which is less ruffled,larger, and more pink colored.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Huntsman’, the pollen parent, the new cultivar haspeach colored leaves rather than green leaves with grey brown veins, andsmall creamy pink rather than larger salmon pink flowers.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No.10/871,960), this cultivar is smaller in habit with leaves that arelarger, shinier, less ruffled.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Peach Flambé’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser.No. 11/154,434), this new variety has foliage colors that are a moremuted peach shades. The new variety has a slight veil unlike Heuchera‘Peach Flambé’. Heuchera ‘Peach Flambé’ has white flowers rather thancreamy pink flowers.

1. A new and distinct hybrid of Heuchera plant as herein illustrated anddescribed.